Fluid-operated device for raising warp yarns in looms

ABSTRACT

A device for raising warp yarns in looms comprising a plurality of fluid-operated cylinders, arranged below the plane of warp yarns of the loom, piston means for actuation of the links of the loom and a chamber containing a low pressure fluid connected to said cylinder through valve means. The valve means are actuated according to the pattern that must be reproduced on the fabric in order to bring the cylinders into communication with the chamber and raise the pistons for actuating the links.

United States Patent 191 Romano FLUID-OPERATED DEVICE FOR RAISING WARP YARNS IN LOOMS [76] Inventor: Enrico Romano, Via Betti 3l/a,

Milan, Italy [22] Filed: Oct. 3, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 294,735

[52] US. Cl.- 139/55, 139/317 [51] Int. Cl. D03c 13/00 [58] FieldofSearch 139/55,57,3l7;66/15 AA [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 572,246 12/1896 Cuscaden et a1. 139/55 972,349 10/1910 Drury 139/317 2,558,284 6/1951 Whitaker... 139/55 3,191,633 6/1965 Piot 139/55 X 3,586,061 6/1971 Lauritsen 139/55 Dec. 10, 1974 3,664,383 5/1972 Minchey et a1. 139/55 Primary Examiner-James Kee Chi Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Dr. Guido Modiano; Dr. Albert Josif 57 7 ABSTRACT A device for raising warp yarns in looms comprising a plurality of fluid-operated cylinders, arranged below the plane of warp yarns of the loom, piston means for actuation of the links of the loom and a chamber containing a low pressure fluid connected to said cylinder through valve means. The valve means are actuated according to the pattern that must be reproduced on the fabric in order to bring the cylinders into communication with the chamber and raise the pistons for actuating the links.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENIEB DEC 1 01914 sum 10F 2 Fig. 1

FLUID-OPERATED DEVICE FOR RAISING W YARNS IN LOOMS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a fluid-operated device for raising warp yarns in looms, such as Jacquard machines.

As known, any textile fabric comprises warp and weft yarns.

When a diapered fabric is to be obtained from such warp and weft yarns machines called Jacquard are used for the interlacing.

Such machines also raise and lower the warp yarns to provide the shed.

The Jacquard machines comprise many operative elements each of which controls a single yarn or a set of a few yarns, each element effecting a so called evolution operation. The number of elements defines the capacity of the machine, which may range from 100 to 1,000 and so on. The various elements substantially consist of a control member connected through a yarn to one or more mobile elements, called links, which cooperate with a series of counterweights and with mechanically actuated members and provide the desired movement. The whole assembly of mechanic members has a large mass which obviously increases with the capacity. An undesired situation thus exists because the more the mass of the mechanism increases, the lower is the motion which may be given to it. Also owing to the fact that the motion to be given is reciprocal in nature, i.e., having short and abrupt accelerations and decelerations, this drawback is even more important. On the other hand due to obvious economical reasons, the trend exists in the modern textile industry of providing as far as possible fast manufacturing methods but in the Jacquard machines up to the present the results did not attain more than l80l90 beatings up per minute, just because of the complex even if improved to a maximum structure of the looms due to the presence of the counterweights and due to the wholly mechanical movements.

Besides the base drawback of a practically insuperable limit the Jacquard machines in use at present have further practical drawbacks such as complex maintaining, numerous failure and so on, which reflect on the final cost of the finished product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The main object of the present invention is that of substantially increasing the raising speed of the warp yarns, thereby reducing to a minimum the amount of the reciprocally moving masses and eliminating most of the mechanical members.

Another object of the present invention is that of reducing to a minimum the possibility of failure and thus the necessity of maintainance.

These and other important objects which will bette appear hereinafter are attained by a substantially fluid operated devicefor the raising movement of the warp yarns in looms characterized in that it comprises a chamber containing a fluid at low pressure, a pneumatic circuit including a plurality of ducts, at least one of which leads to the said chamber, valve members located in the said ducts, piston actuating means for links arranged in at least one of the said ducts so as to be controlled through the said valve members by the said pressurized fluid, and means for actuating the said valve members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will better appear from the following detailed description of a device for raising warp yarns according to the invention given by way of indicative not limiting FIGS. 4 and 5 show a partially sectioned view of a modification of the device in the two limit operational positions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference to FIG. 1 the device according to the invention is generally indicated at l, and is located below a plane of warp yarns 2 which are tensioned on two beams 3. With reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a first embodiment of the device is shown.

In the above mentioned embodiment the device 1 comprises a chamber 4 containing a fluid, preferably air, at a low pressure (about 0,5-1 atm.) the air under pressure being indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3 by dots 5. Valves generally indicated at 6, contained in cylinder structures 7, vertically crossing the chamber 4, are connected to the chamber 4. In the above mentioned fig ures three of the said cylinders 7 are shown, however their number can vary depending upon the required characteristics of the machine. The said valves 6 are of the three way type, formed with ducts 8, 9 and 10, which lead to a chamber 11. The duct 8 is in communi cation with the inside of the pressure chamber 4. The duct 9 puts the chamber 11 into communication with the inside of the section of the cylinder 7 arranged over the chamber 4. The duct or conduit 10 finally puts the chamber 11 in communication with the atmosphere.

Inside the upper section of the cylinder 7, which is arranged over the chamber 4, a piston 12 is slidably mounted, which is provided with a sealing lip gasket 13. The piston 12 is provided on the upper portion thereof with a rod or stem 14 which extends upwards outside the cylinder 7 and defines the link to be moved. The said stem or link 14 as shown in FIG. 1, defines an eyelet 15, through which a warp yarn passes.

A compression spring 16 acts as a return member for the piston 12. In the said chamber 11 a sphere-shaped member 17 is provided, which has an axial stem I8 rigid with the mobile core 19 of a bobbin 20 fixed outside the chamber 4. A compression spring 21 acts as a return member-for the core 19 and thus for the sphere 17.

The operation of the device is as follows.

The rest position of the link 14 is that shown in FIG. 2. In this condition through bobbin 20 does not flow any current and the sphere l7 urged by the spring 21 obstructs the conduit 8 communicating with the pressure chamber 4, whereby through opening of the conduit 10 in the chamber 11, in the duct 9 and inside the cylinder 7 the atmospheric pressure exists.

The piston 12 urged by the spring 15 is at the lower dead center of its stroke, whereby the link 14 is also lowered. When a current flows through the bobbin 20, the magnetic flux thereby produced energizes the mobile core 19 and attracts the same inside the bobbin 20 thus overcoming the force of the spring 21. The core 19, while being actuated, moves the sphere or ball 17 from the mouth of the conduit 8 into the chamber 11 and urges the said sphere 17 to close the light of the conduit-10. The conduits 8 and 9 are thus put into communication with one another thereby allowing the pressure air 5 in said chamber 4 to flow through the conduits 8 and 9 into the zone of the cylinder 7 below the piston 12.

The said pressure air suitably sealed by the gasket 13, pushes the piston 12 upwards, overcomes the force of the spring 16 and raises together with the said piston 12 the link 14 rigid therewith. The conduit 22 maintains the atmospheric pressure in the space over the piston 12, so that no backforces arise, other than those of the spring '16 against the motion of the piston 12. In this way the ring of the link 14 lifts, during its stroke, a warp yarn such as that indicated at 2a in FIG. 1, thereby allowing a shuttle generally indicated at 23 in FIG. 1 to thread the weft yarn between the lifted warp yarn 2a and a yarn 2b, which is arranged in a lowered position as shown in FIG. 1.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and S a modification is illustrated, in which the functions of the bobbin and of the core 19 are performed by a control of any suitable mechanical type not shown in the Figure, while the valve 6 is replaced by a device including a rod element or stem 25, which is formed with two holes, a longitudinal and blind hole 26 and a cross or transverse hole 27 arranged at the blind end of the hole 26 which communicates therewith and is open at both ends thereof. The stem has a lower end slidable inside a through bore 28 provided in the lower flat wall 4 of the chamber 24 and an upper end slidable into a cylinder 29, which extends for a length inside the chamber 24 and defines a corresponding through bore in the upper flat wall 4.

A cylindrical compression spring 30, which rests at one end on the lower end of the cylinder 29 and at the other on a boss 31, rigid with the stem 25, holds the stem 25 in the first or rest position, of the device, as shown in FIG. 4, in which the transverse through hole 27 is maintained in communication relationship with the outside of the chamber 24. The cylinder 29 communicates at the upper portion thereof with the cylinder 7, within which a piston 12 is slideably mounted in a manner completely analogous to the embodiment described above.

The operation of this embodiment of the device is as follows. When the device is in the rest position the link 14 rigid with the piston 12 is resting at the dead lower center of its stroke. According to a control programmed by the work plane of the loom, on which the device according to the invention is mounted, an actuation member of any suitable type selectively pushes one or more stems 25' upwards so as to overcome the force of the spring 30 and to put the hole 27 into communication with the inside of the chamber 24. Then the pressure fluid Sin the chamber 24 enters the hole 27 and then the hole 26, thereby flowing into the inside of the cylinder 7 into the zone below the piston 12.

At this stage the raising process of the selected pistons 12 and the links 14 in the second or operative position is equal'to that obtained with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The lowering of the link selected 14 is obtained by releasing the lower end of the stem '25 thereby allowing the spring 30 to lower the stem 25 and put the hole 27 into communication with the atmosphere. The air under pressure which has entered the hole 26, the cylinder 29 and the cylinder 7, flows to the outside and allows the piston 12 to move the link 14 back in the lower position.

With both the devices described above a beating rate as high as 500 per minute has been attained, thereby remarkably improving the performance of the Jacquard machines with mechanic controls used up to now.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and changes all of which are included in the scope of the inventive idea.

For example the device 1 can be provided with cylinders 7 arranged spaced from the chamber 24. Advantageously a plurality of modular elements can be provided which define adjacent inner seats, within which the pistons 12 are slidable. The modular elements have a fixed number of seats such as 640, and could be combined at will by inserting one or more of the said modular elements into the zone below the warp yarns 2, such as along guides provided for this purpose and by fixing the modular elements to one another. The seats defining the cylinders 7 are then connected to the cylinders 29 in the chamber 24 such as through flexible ducts or hoses. The seats of more modular elements may be connected to the same distribution member to which the air under pressure is fed from the cylinders 29 through hoses. Thus with the same unit or assembly 25-29 it is possible to control a plurality of links at the same time, as required by the pattern that must be obtained on the fabric. It is also possible to decrease the size of the chamber 24 by forming units 25-29 closer thereto. In this case the cylinder 29 is eliminated and the moving stem 25 is caused to slide directly within passages or through bores formed in the flat walls 4 of the chamber 24 by providing annular sealing gaskets on the stem itself and not within the seats in the cylinder 29 or the lower side wall of the chamber 24 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. This could not be technically possible due to the reduced dimensions available. More particularly two annular gaskets are provided, which are arranged upon the length of the stem inside the chamber and at the said passages of the side walls, one of the gaskets being arranged between a bush sliding relative to the stem and the upper sidewall of the chamber 24 and the other gasket being arranged rigid with the stem and to a bush mounted on the stem 25 substantially corresponding to the boss 31. Between the two bushes a spring similar to the spring 30 acts also on the gaskets thereby providing a sealing action. In this modified embodiment it is also provided a through hole 27 comprising two through holes spaced from one another in the direction of the stem axis and communicating with one another. Such through holes are arranged at such a distance that while one communicates with the chamber 24, or with the atmosphere, the other is in a position inside the sidewall of the chamber 24 and thus this hole is in the condition as if it were closed. In this way the movement rate of the stem 25 can be reduced between the operative position and the rest position. There is also provided a third sealing gasket at the end of the stem 25 outcoming from the lower sidewall of the chamber 24 and being pushed towards the said sidewall by actuation means of the stem 25 which in this case have a cup-shaped end in which the lower end of the stem 25 is received.

The reduced dimensions of the modular elements and of the chamber 24 allow on the one hand to adapt the device to Jacquard-machines of different sizes, being possible to vary the number of the modular elements used, and on the other hand to use for the actuation of the stem 25 the same perforated continuous cards now used for traditional J acquard-machines.

I claim:

1. A fluid-operated device for raising warp threads in looms, comprising a pressure chamber containing a pressure fluid and having two opposite parallel flat walls, said flat walls being provided with a plurality of through bores arranged in parallel rows, a plurality of fluid-operated cylinders having pistons slidable thereinside and actuated by said pressure fluid, and a plurality of rods each rigid with one of said pistons and extending out of said fluid operated cylinders, said rods being each provided with an eyelet for holding a corresponding warp thread, wherein, according to the improvement, the device further comprises a plurality of rod elements extending between said parallel flat walls and having ends slidable inside said through bores, said rod elements having a longitudinal internal blind hole and a transverse through hole communicating therewith, said longitudinal hole extending between said transverse through hole and one end of said rod elements for communication with a corresponding one of said fluidoperated cylinders, said rod elements being selectively movable between a first position in which said transverse hole is positioned out of said chamber, thereby discharging pressure fluid from said fluid-operated cylinders through said longitudinal hole to the atmosphere and lowering the selected warp threads, and a second position in which said transverse through hole is positioned inside said chamber, thereby providing pressure fluid supply to said fluid-operated cylinders and raising of the selected warp threads, means for selectively actuating said rod elements according to the pattern that has to be reproduced on the fabric and resilient means for returning said rod elements from said second position to said first position.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fluid operated cylinders are arranged on one of said flat walls of said pressure chamber coaxial to said through bores and below said warp threads.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fluid operated cylinders and said pistons are defined by a block element having a plurality of adjacent parallel seats in which said pistons are slidable and wherein flexible connection means are provided for communication of said seats with said longitudinal holes of said rod elements.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rod elements comprise a further through hole extending transverse to said longitudinal internal hole and spaced from said transverse through hole by a distance smaller than the thickness of said flat walls, whereby in said first position one of said transverse through holes is positioned out of said chamber and the other thereof is positioned inside said through bores of said flat walls and in said second position one of said transverse through holes is positioned inside said through bores of said flat walls and the other thereof is positioned inside said pressure chamber. 

1. A fluid-operated device for raising warp threads in looms, comprising a pressure chamber containing a pressure fluid and having two opposite parallel flat walls, said flat walls being provided with a plurality of through bores arranged in parallel rows, a plurality of fluid-operated cylinders having pistons slidable thereinside and actuated by said pressure fluid, and a plurality of rods each rigid with one of said pistons and extending out of said fluid operated cylinders, said rods being each provided with an eyelet for holding a corresponding warp thread, wherein, according to the improvement, the device further comprises a plurality of rod elements extending between said parallel flat walls and having ends slidable inside said through bores, said rod elements having a longitudinal internal blind hole and a transverse through hole communicating therewith, said longitudinal hole extending between said transverse through hole and one end of said rod elements for communication with a corresponding one of said fluid-operated cylinders, said rod elements being selectively movable between a first position in which Said transverse hole is positioned out of said chamber, thereby discharging pressure fluid from said fluid-operated cylinders through said longitudinal hole to the atmosphere and lowering the selected warp threads, and a second position in which said transverse through hole is positioned inside said chamber, thereby providing pressure fluid supply to said fluidoperated cylinders and raising of the selected warp threads, means for selectively actuating said rod elements according to the pattern that has to be reproduced on the fabric and resilient means for returning said rod elements from said second position to said first position.
 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fluid operated cylinders are arranged on one of said flat walls of said pressure chamber coaxial to said through bores and below said warp threads.
 3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fluid operated cylinders and said pistons are defined by a block element having a plurality of adjacent parallel seats in which said pistons are slidable and wherein flexible connection means are provided for communication of said seats with said longitudinal holes of said rod elements.
 4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rod elements comprise a further through hole extending transverse to said longitudinal internal hole and spaced from said transverse through hole by a distance smaller than the thickness of said flat walls, whereby in said first position one of said transverse through holes is positioned out of said chamber and the other thereof is positioned inside said through bores of said flat walls and in said second position one of said transverse through holes is positioned inside said through bores of said flat walls and the other thereof is positioned inside said pressure chamber. 